Mari Johnson: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Mari Johnson

City: Sugar Grove

Office sought: Village trustee

Age: 61

Occupation: Homemaker, community volunteer

Education: BA Business Economics From Illinois Benediction College, Class of 1979

Civic involvement: Community Volunteer in many areas for over 31 years. Having been a part of many things in Sugar Grove and in the Kaneland Schools. Currently, volunteering with Friends of the Sugar Grove Library, Sugar Grove Park District 5K run, Baking each year for the Holiday in the Grove, and often for the Sugar Grove Senior Citizen lunches. I have scaled back on many of the other areas of volunteerism as I was caring for my aging mother and her battle with dementia.

Previous elected offices held: Village trustee

Incumbent: If yes, when were first elected? Yes. First elected in 1995

Facebook: Mari Johnson Sugar Grove Village Trustee

Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your community and how do you intend to address them?

The biggest issue at this moment is the Crown Development at the Interchange of Rouet 47 and I-88. Working to diversify the local tax base and make everyone happy is not an easy task. Sugar Grove sits in the midst of many high-traffic areas and balancing the perception of what residents want and the realities of the ever-changing development world is not easy. Working to use current economic information and planning for the future growth that is needed to sustain services to the community is a difficult task. Trying to get accurate information to residents is another important issue that has faced us in the time I have been on the board. Newspapers don't cover issues regularly and people rely on social media for information. Direct mail to everyone is not an option due to cost. I intend to address them by utilizing planning principles, advice of consultants and experts in the area of development. As far as communication, the Village has worked hard to provide regular website updates, email blast to residents and a Facebook page.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I think I am the best candidate for the job because my 24 years serving on the board and I am open minded. This community means everything to me. I have lived here for nearly 32 years. I have dedicated 24 years as a trustee working to bring quality development, residential and commercial to our town. Working as part of a board is learning to give and take and to compromise. Also, as a board member, I have helped find and retain quality staff that work daily to make Sugar Grove a great place to live. I realize that no one can get "their way" all of the time and when a vote did not go my way, I then know that to do what is right, I have to change my perspective. The goal has always been to get the best results for the Village. Sugar Grove has a nice mix of residential offerings, but we need more. We recently have added senior apartments. The next step will be adding a residential component to serve the young business professionals. Our growing kids don't have a place in this community right now. I see that the Crown project could provide an apartment complex, with easy tollway access to the young professionals. We have broadened our retail/commercial area through collaboration with developers. The Route 47 Corridor guidelines have brought us some very nice things in the heart of Sugar Grove. In order to further expand those offerings, we need to grow our commercial/industrial base. We have seen interest in the area of Rt 47 and I88 also, in the Waubonsee Corporate Center. So, moving forward, it is necessary to be open-minded and to find areas of compromise with the many projects that we have to come before us.

Describe your leadership style and explain how you think that will be effective in producing actions and decisions with your village board or city council.

I like to think that my leadership style is All-inclusive and respectful. There have been many times over the years that I have disagreed with my fellow board members, but everyone deserves respect. I like to know why and what my fellow board members think. I like to listen and provide guidance. I value input from others and always try to provide correct information. If anything, that could also be seen as one of my shortcomings. I often offend people because I try to correct them. However, I think it's important to make decisions based on facts, so asking a lot of questions and reading all of the materials is a key component. I work to balance the reality and emotional component when matters come before the board.

How would you describe the condition of your community's budget, and what are the most important specific actions the town should take to assure providing the level of services people want?

Our budget is in good shape. Our staff is excellent at trimming items that can be trimmed. In Sugar Grove, we are also feeling the pension-pinch that is occurring throughout the state. In the upcoming budget, we have already been told that the payment to the police pension fund will be more than we can expect in new tax revenue. This will require cuts in the general fund. As we have not begun the actual budget discussion, we don't have specifics on the areas that will need cutting. We are seeing some increases in our sales tax revenues, and this is a good thing. As we hope to grow the industrial areas to increase the daytime population with new employees, we should see an increase in possible retail growth. We have heard time and time again how important the daytime population is. We continue to utilize quality staff to assist in the daily operation of the Village. They are the boots on the ground for getting the job done. We have done a number of citizen surveys. We know that residents want good police service, good quality roads, places to eat, places to shop. Recreation areas are also important. We assisted with the formation of the Sugar Grove Park District and passed all of the village owned parks to them. We are currently working with the Forest Preserve District, Sugar Grove Township and Park District with a grant for a possible bridge and bike path linking Windsor Pointe with the Virgil Gilman Trail. We require new developments to have bike paths and link them when possible. The recreation items are difficult when budget funds are limited. We perform road maintenance studies in order to best utilize our motor fuel tax dollars for road repairs.

What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?

I would like to find a mechanism that would serve both the community and the developer of a major project. TIF is so inflammatory. Everyone says no tax revenue for 23 years. That is the worst case scenario. There can be payouts before that. I would like to find a way to share the revenues on a prorated basis. Many large projects require a huge amount of off-site improvements. These improvements are not just for the development but for the surrounding area as well. Often, these improvements are things that a community wants and needs, but can't afford. If these improvements could be paid by the developer and shared tax revenues after a 5 year period, 80 percent/20 percent with the developer recouping full amount the first five years, I think residents would be more receptive. Currently, its hard to see down the road for 23 years. Plus, I am still trying to think of the best idea to communicate information to people. I would love to be able to instant message everyone so they would know what is going on.